The Babysitter
by demonman21
Summary: Sequel to "Family". The Halliwells decide to go out to party, and find a sitter for Gabriel and Melinda.


The Babysitter  
  
Sequel to "Family". I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it.  
  
As morning came to the Halliwell manor, it found Paige downstairs working on a potion. A few moments later, Phoebe walked into the room. "Hey Paige, what's up?" Phoebe asked as she walked into the room.  
  
Paige looked up and smiled, "Not a whole lot. Just seeing if I can make this potion,"  
  
Phoebe looked at the entry, and grinned, "A potion to prevent mind reading? Nice, but how are you going to test it?"  
  
"Well, um.alright, sue me. I was bored, and antsy." Paige murmured.  
  
"I understand. I was the same way before my wedding. Of course, I didn't have to wait another month and a half like you do," Phoebe teased.  
  
"Rub it in," Paige commented wryly.  
  
"Don't worry, it'll happen. When it does, just make sure you enjoy it. I know I did, both times," Phoebe replied sagely.  
  
"Speaking of the groom, how is Cole?" Paige asked.  
  
"Fine. He's asleep right now. I can also tell he wants to know what his brother's up to." Phoebe explained.  
  
"I still can't get over the fact he has a brother," Paige said honestly.  
  
"Neither can I, truth to tell," Phoebe replied. "However, it's been a week and a half since we've heard anything from him. Truth be told, I think he's left town, or hiding from Cole."  
  
Paige was about to comment when Piper and Leo walked into the kitchen with Melinda in their arms. "Morning, what'cha making?" Piper asked curiously.  
  
"Nothing I can test, apparently," Paige replied, "Where's Gabriel?"  
  
"Dead to the world," Leo replied with grin, "Not even Melinda's crying woke him up. It was very impressive."  
  
"Is it just me, or are Cole and Gabriel sleeping longer?" Paige commented.  
  
"Well, Cole's been really swamped at work, and Gabriel is still growing, no matter how he can change his body. It's nothing to worry about," Phoebe replied.  
  
"Besides, we have something more important to discuss," Piper said seriously.  
  
"What?" Paige asked curiously.  
  
"When are the six of us going to celebrate your engagement?" Piper said with a grin, "We need to go out and congratulate you properly."  
  
"Sounds fun, but what are we going to do with Gabriel and Melinda?" Paige questioned.  
  
Piper frowned and exclaimed, "Good point. We really can't leave them with a normal babysitter, can we?"  
  
Phoebe was about to respond when a business card appeared on the kitchen table. The sisters and Leo looked at it curiously, and then Leo picked it up and read it out loud, "Sitters, Inc. the finest babysitters of magical children in the universe. Estb. 1756."  
  
"Huh? This has to be some kind of a joke," Phoebe said in disbelief.  
  
"Actually, I've heard of them," Leo offered, "they're quite good, and several of my charges have used them with their children."  
  
"And you never mentioned them to us before?" Piper demanded crossly.  
  
"Well, our children are stronger, and I wasn't sure if they could handle it," Leo said defensively.  
  
"Never mind. Should we call them?" Phoebe asked nervously.  
  
"I don't see why not. It can't hurt to at least call and ask them some questions." Piper replied. She picked up the phone and dialed the number. It rang for several moments, and then someone picked up the phone.  
  
"Sitters, Inc. This is Mandy, how can I help you?"  
  
"Yes, um." Piper began nervously, "We just got your business card, and."  
  
"Oh, you must be the Halliwell sisters," Mandy reassured, "We were wondering how long it would take for you to call us. Congratulations on your children."  
  
"Thanks.wait, how did you know?" Piper asked sharply.  
  
"We know where all our business cards are, we send them. You're the only voice I've not heard before, and the only new client we have right now. Now then, how old are your children?" Mandy commented.  
  
"Well, Melinda and Gabriel are both 8 months old.has it really been that long," Piper whispered to Phoebe.  
  
"Excellent. Now, what are their powers?" Mandy asked seriously.  
  
"I don't know if I should tell you." Piper said nervously.  
  
"We do understand, this is merely to help us in picking a babysitter who can handle their powers."  
  
"I suppose so.Melinda is a half-whitelighter witch, and Gabriel is a Guardian."  
  
There was a pause on the end of the line, and then Mandy whispered, "A Guardian?"  
  
"Is that a problem?" Piper asked.  
  
"No, no." Mandy said hurriedly, "I was just surprised. Now then, when do you want the sitter?"  
  
Piper looked at her sisters, who offered, "Tonight?"  
  
Piper nodded, and said, "How about tonight, around seven?"  
  
"Not a problem," Mandy commented. "How long will you need the sitter?"  
  
"Until midnight or so," Piper continued.  
  
"Very well, our rate for two infants is $6.00 an hour, so your total will be about $30.00. Is that acceptable?  
  
Piper was going to protest, until she realized it probably was a fair deal considering what the sitter would have to deal with. "Alright, that's fine."  
  
"Excellent, the sitter should be there promptly. Thank you for choosing Sitters, Inc. You won't regret it." Mandy said, and hung up.  
  
***  
  
At 6:55, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Cole commented, and opened the door. Standing there was a young woman of about 22 with chestnut eyes and black hair. She smiled and said, "Hi, is this the Halliwells?"  
  
Cole nodded, and invited her in. "The sitter's here." He called out. A few moments later, the sisters came down with Gabriel and Melinda.  
  
The woman smiled and said, "These must be the children. Hi, my name's Rachel, and I'm a whitelighter. Let me just say it's an honor."  
  
"It is," Phoebe asked in confusion.  
  
"Are you kidding," the woman commented, "no one's EVER babysat a Guardian before. It'll be great, you'll see."  
  
"Fine.now, if there's a problem, call us. Here's my cell phone number.and Paige's.and Cole's.and Phoebe's.and Michael's.and here's the number to the Fire and Police department.and here's the number to the restaurant." Piper asked.  
  
Rachel grinned, and asked, "Anything else I should know? Allergies, rules of the house, things like that?"  
  
"Not really." Leo said.  
  
"Then rest assured, your children are in good hands. I'm the top babysitter in the company; we wanted to make a good impression. Enjoy dinner, and don't worry about a thing."  
  
Phoebe and Piper looked at each other nervously before nodding hesitantly. They then walked out the door.  
  
As soon as they were gone, Rachel looked back and gasped. Gabriel and Melinda had turned into toddlers while her back was turned. She looked at them and asked, "Hello, what do you want to do now?"  
  
Gabriel and Melinda looked at each other mischievously, and then said, "Want to play tag?"  
  
***  
  
"Maybe we should call them," Piper breathed.  
  
"Honey, relax, it's only been an hour. I'm sure they're fine," Leo soothed. "Now, come on. This is Michael and Paige's night. Let's do a toast."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. I mean, what could happen?" Piper asked rhetorically.  
  
***  
  
"Gabriel, Melinda?" Rachel called out worriedly. She looked around the realm, and bit her lip.  
  
Suddenly, Gabriel and Melinda were right in front of her. They laughed, and Melinda said, "Catch us if you can," before they both disappeared.  
  
"Wait!" Rachel called, before saying, "these kids are demons," she then orbed after them. Rachel orbed from realm to realm, searching for them using her detecting power. Still, it was almost ten minutes before she found, them waiting for her in one of the lesser planes.  
  
Gabriel grinned, and said, "Took you long enough,"  
  
Rachel gasped, and stammered, "I'm supposed to protect you. What if a demon attacked?"  
  
Gabriel said nothing, but pointed. A blast of power erupted from him and exploded into the ground. When the smoke cleared, there was a crater on the spot. Rachel gulped as Gabriel remarked, "Not a problem."  
  
As Rachel stared at Gabriel in fear, Melinda said, "you are treating us like little kids, and so we'll act that way if you want. But we're both pretty much adults, so if you treat us like that, we'll get along fine. Any problem with that?"  
  
"No, none," Rachel stammered.  
  
"Good.now, how about we head back to the manor and get something to eat?" Gabriel suggested. A few moments later, Rachel was alone.  
  
She looked around, and then said, "This is going to be a long night."  
  
***  
  
The sisters snuck into the house quietly, afraid to disturb the kids. They found Rachel asleep on the couch, with the TV on. Piper walked over and said softly, "Rachel?"  
  
Rachel woke with a start, and looked around, "Huh, wha.oh, you're back. What time is it?"  
  
"Midnight," Phoebe replied. "Did they give you any trouble?"  
  
"Plenty, but they settled down after about thirty minutes," Rachel said with a yawn.  
  
Piper handed her the money as she said, "Well, thanks for doing this. We had a great time. We may want to do this again soon."  
  
"I'll tell the company. Thanks for using Sitters, inc. Now, if you'll excuse, I need to get back." Rachel said. As she orbed out, she added, "and sleep for a week."  
  
The sisters looked at each other, and then started to laugh.  
  
THE END 


End file.
